OSAKA, Japan - At least 15 people were killed and 10 others injured at the Cats Adult Video Theater in Osaka when a man set fire to the building early Wednesday morning in an apparent suicide attempt.
Police arrested one of the theater patrons on suspicion of arson and attempted murder, Osaka police spokesman Kengo Hirami told reporters. The 46-year-old suspect admitted to police that he set the fire using newspapers he stashed in his bag.
Police quoted the suspect as saying he set the fire because he was "tired of living," according to public broadcaster NHK .
The theater is located on the ground floor of a seven-story building and contains 32 viewing booths, each equipped with a cot, a TV and a DVD player. The video theater offered mostly adult movies, but also showed cartoons and Hollywood films.
When the fire started at approximately 3 a.m., most of the booths were occupied and many of the patrons were asleep.
According to reports, young people who cannot afford housing live in such all-night lounges reading comic books or watching movies, and businessmen use the rooms as a cheap alternative to hotels after missing the last train home.
Officials are still trying to identify the 15 dead. Officials said ten of the injured - nine men and one woman - were being treated at a nearby hospital, and several were in serious condition.
